Youth Church

Let me tell you a couple of stories.
There’s the nightclub DJ who one day just found himself at the youth tent. He had never heard of Xpressions before, nor had anyone invited him that day. Not having been to church in a long time, what he found at Xpressions blew him away and after that he could not stay away; he would leave the clubs where he played just in time to go home, catch a nap and make it to church on time. He too gave his life to Christ a few weeks ago.

And I have to tell you about Dan. He is 14 and normally, he would sit at the back of the church and watch people “do their thing’. After going through ROPES last year, he joined high school this year and there, he too got saved.  The transformation in him is phenomenal! He is totally excited about God and thinks he might even be called to ministry. He’s already asked if he can speak at Xpressions when they close school. And we’re letting him.

These are only a few of the countless amazing stories you will find at Club Xpressions, the youth ministry of Nairobi Chapel. This ministry caters for young people from the age of 12 to 24 yrs.  GUZA is our pre-teen class for the 12 year olds and Crossroads is the transitional class for 13 yr olds.  The GUZAites and Crossroaders join us for worship before going to their classes that run for an entire year.

When most people think of a youth service, they think of loud music, fun and hype intended to keep a bunch of rowdy young people busy so that their parents can concentrate on their service.  And Club Xpressions IS loud, what with an in-house DJ in the mix almost every Sunday! But it is more than hype and fun- it is a place where real youth are transformed by a real God to bring about real growth through service in a real world. Or as one Xpressionite would say, Xpressions is REAL!  Here you will find young people who are not ashamed to love God and who are constantly seeking new and creative ways to know Him better (we are toying with the idea of doing coke and crisps for communion one of these fine days!—would Jesus have done it?).

A typical Sunday begins at 8.30am where about 30 Xpressionites meet for prayer. This is followed by SCOPE groups, which are our Bible Study groups. These groups are where real community happens, where youth have a chance to ask questions, study the Bible and deal with the issues of the day. It is also a powerful time for them to be open and honest about their lives and their struggles. Take Oscar for example. He lives in a one room shack with his often ill mother in Kawangware. When he shared his story with his SCOPE group, they planned a visit to his house where they found his ill mother on the floor because they could not afford a bed. So this group of about 10 young people contributed money, bought groceries and a stove for them. Later, they took a doctor to see his mum . Another member of the group offered him a cleaning job at his office.  Now, Oscar does not speak much English, but wherever there’s a bunch of Xpressionites, he’s sure to be among them.

Xpressions works in partnership with K-Krew – a group that reaches out to young people through music and radio-and who are partly responsible for the loudness at our services (the other part is Pst Albo’s fault).  Together, we have been involved in many outreaches through the year. Just last month, 70 girls got saved at Ngara Girls’ through one such outreach.

Our message to young people is that God is real and exciting, and that He loves them no matter where they have been.  And oh yeah, church can be fun.  One of our visions as a team is to change the face of youth ministry in Africa and we are starting right here at home. One of the most exciting aspects of doing youth ministry is that we get to play a part in shaping the destinies of future generations. So if you are young, or young at heart, and would like to experience God amongst your peers, then Club Xpressions is the place to be. We also have various opportunities for adults to be involved at Xpressions as teachers for the GUZA and Crossroads classes and/or mentors.  And if you don’t think you can handle all the energy, then, partner with us in prayer, asking that God would continue to work in our midst drawing more and more young people to himself.